Random Ramblings

This blog will be exactly like its title -- random ramblings. Anything. Everything.

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

First Update of the Year

Now this is sad - can’t believe I haven’t updated this yet for 2015! So much has already happened this year.

We decided we didn’t want to wait too long to get married and got lucky with finding a totally awesome venue! So September 6, 2015 is our date! It’s the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We are beyond excited and so are our family and friends. In fact, we sent out the dates about 2 weeks ago now, and from the sounds of things and the compliments, everyone has received theirs. We are looking at 233 invited guests at the moment. HUGE! But fun - we love our big families and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone.

We have been rolling on the wedding to-do list which has been nice and so far stress levels have stayed down. We finalized a florist last week and I just picked the bridesmaids’ dresses as well. Next up is picking a bakery, deciding on a honeymoon location (and getting that booked), and I’ll start researching hair/makeup options for myself. For the guys - we know what we want them to wear, just need to find it and start getting them squared away. We also decided we want to have the rehearsal dinner at Chris’ parents house, backyard BBQ style, but we need to start looking into a caterer and what not.

Let’s see what else - Griffey is 75 pounds now! He just turned 6 months this past Wednesday. The vet said he should double his weight when all is said and done AHHHH! We start obedience training with him next week for the next 8 weeks - that should be interesting but good for him and for us.

We’ve been in our house for over a year now - it went by so fast! Our dining room renovations are finally finished, we just need a new light fixture. Next up I think we will tackle finishing off the basement which will also include installing a new HVAC system and getting rid of our baseboard heat.

That’s pretty much the latest and greatest! We also have two trips planned for this year so far. One is a work trip to Vegas the other is for a friend’s wedding in Colorado and then we will spend time with my favorite cousin out there too. Can’t wait for those!

Random sidebar - today is Pi day! Apparently it is the only time this century that it’s the correct digits to four 3.1415. Neat!

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"But Ma -- I thought bird poop was good for you.."

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I'M ENGAGED!!! So here's the story of our proposal....The Saturday before Christmas was just like any other Saturday. Christopher and I went to the casino for a little bit in the morning and then I had a hair appointment in the early afternoon. We then took a nap and I had been planning on taking a "family" photo of us and the pup. In order to do that, I borrowed the camera and tripod from my work. The camera lets you set a timer and you can also set it to take so many photos in a row - I picked 5. We tried several rounds of attempting to get Griffey to sit still and look up at the camera and we got a couple that "worked" but we finally said "One more try." It was during this last try that Christopher got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. This photo was the first captured during the 5 set on the timer that round. :) It was absolutely perfect!! Just us and our puppy in front of our Christmas tree and the ring is just beautiful. I had no idea it was coming - of course in hind-sight, there were signs haha. I seriously am the happiest/luckiest woman in the world to be marrying such a wonderful man!!!

We said we were going to wait until after the New Year to start discussing plans, but I can't help it. I'm already looking up venues and discussing a budget with my mom - I'M SO EXCITED! Looks like it will be a 2016 wedding, but that's really the only thing known at this point. Perhaps end of May or June or perhaps September or October. I just don't know if I want to wait until the fall - although I would love a fall wedding. Venues book so early! I don't think he quite understands that yet lol but I suppose nothing can really be done until after the new year anyway. We shall see. :)

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

One of these days I'll get to finish my "Thankful" posts and one of these days I will have the energy and time to write a full post PERIOD. Sigh -- joys of the cray busy holiday season and of being a new puppy mom. :)

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Thankful (Day 2)

Another day alive and well :)

Today I am thankful that my family members and I successfully made it to our travel destinations. Along the way a lovely older couple gave us a coupon for half off our bill at Bob Evans - super sweet! They actually gave them out to a few families as we all wrapped up our meals. Then as we were getting back into the car a very nice stranger came up to my Dad and said to him "Please tell the gentleman in the car 'Thank you for his service'." That gentleman was my 94-year-old Grandfather who served in the Navy on the USS Heermann and so happened to be wearing his Navy ball cap. It's great to give thanks to our veterans always and it was nice to be able to witness this.

I am also very thankful that we get to spend the next few days with my Dad's side of the family. We always spend Thanksgiving together but the past couple of years have been hard after the loss of our Aunt Mary and our Grandmother. Not to mention, our Uncle George has been battling leukemia. This year we have all traveled to the beach together for the first time for Thanksgiving, spending more than just the usual Thursday afternoon/evening together, and all of us can't seem to be more excited for the change. The vibe is truly upbeat and positive - a very refreshing feeling so far.

Can't wait to share more tomorrow. :)

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

Thankful (Day 1)

This week is Thanksgiving week, so I thought I'd write about the things, people, etc. I am thankful for.

Today for instance was a great Monday, a great start to my week. First, I woke up - Thank you God! And I woke up next to my wonderful man. :)

Then the day went by fast as I was quite productive and I am now officially on vacation and will be heading to Myrtle Beach with my family to spend time with more family. :) I also finally got a new phone courtesy of my job, case included. Seems trivial, but I am thankful for this. Thankful for being fortunate enough to have a job that provides me with this luxury and saves me phone payments. Thankful for our IT guy, Greg, who spent time today setting it up so it would be ready for me to take with me on vacation. My boss today also gave our entire team an extra day off to use between now and the end of the year as a way of saying "thanks" to us, but I am thankful for her and her generosity, her appreciation and her kindness. I am also thankful for my Dad who spent time running around tonight to make sure we are ready for our trip tomorrow. He is also going to be the one behind the wheel getting us to our destination safe and sound. I am also extremely fortunate that my 94-year-old grandfather is able to make the trip with us tomorrow. :)

My list will continue tomorrow.

[breakfastsundae]

It’s hard to tell, but I’ve removed the center triangle of my mom’s pumpkin pie and replaced it with vanilla ice cream, whip cream, and caramel sauce

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And also, there's this. This looks and sounds amazing. I WANT IT. Does this make me a basic bitch? Is that the correct use of this new terminology??

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Randomness

Ok so what's happening tonight:

Not sure where to start, but let's start with this: Griffy has gas tonight for the first time and it's BAD like rotten eggs just so BAD and so freaking gross! But he refuses to poop!! Instead he wants to eat bark or whatever his little puppy mouth can find in the yard. At one point he even tried to hide behind our wheel barrel. I was mad, but couldn't help but laugh. He literally peeked his little head up as if he thought "Momma can't see me over here" to which I quickly said "I can see you!" then he took off back over to where he was trying to eat bark and things. Hahaha, it's a good thing he's so stinking cute (see what I did there?!) 

On top of all this stinky cuteness, I've been drinking wine. Let me tell you about my love for wine

I LOVE WINE SO MUCH!!! RED is preferable but I like to keep an open mind and just DRINK ALL THE WINE... I really love Malbecs, but I like a good Pinot Noir and Merlot..Cabs every now and again but in that order. My mom loves Whit Zin - another wine I like quite a bit. Boyfriend likes Riesling. Whites are just too sweet I think - of the whites I prefer Pinot Grigio.

I went to my first wine festival this year - Who knew one could get so drunk so quickly off of samples - SAMPLES! I had a blast though with my girl friends and was stupid and spent too much money, but I guess that's what they count on - get them drunk and they spend money HAHA. But really I did find some good wines. HOWEVER some were just terrible. For example, at this one tent/brand we tasted like 20 wines just because of the promise of the last wine - a chocolate wine. What woman doesn't love chocolate and wine?!?! Perfect combo right?? WRONG - it was horrible. After that everything was just a struggle hahahaha.

Anyway, we (boyfriend and I) finally have a free night. So we are relaxing with some adult beverages while trying to catch up on the dozen shows we watch (well DVR) every week. On that list are the following:

Nashville Chicago PD Chicago Fire NCIS NCIS New Orleans Scorpion Gotham Master Chef (Kids addition) Castle Criminal Minds Hawaii Five-O Blue Bloods

HA! Literally a dozen - good guess on my part! And that's just this season. In January the final season of Justified starts. We watch a bunch others too..but we aren't couch potatoes I swear! We also play soccer at least 2 times a week, gym membership, now the puppy, not to mention activities with friends and families. I'm also pretty active with my work (after work)..events and such, networking, finishing my to-do list, etc.

Sooo that's the scoop on what's going on tonight. :) Happy Friday!

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

Throwing it back! I can't believe it's been 3 years since this wonderful man and I started dating. We were just "friends" in this photo but it quickly turned into a love we will never forget, one that we hope will last forever (so cheesy and mushy, I know - but it's true)! Crazy part is we had known each other since we were 16/17 years old - working for the local rec n parks on Saturday mornings together for 2-3 years (one of my favorite jobs btw), but we had both been dating other people. We kept in touch and hung out a few times in between sig others over the years, but the timing just never seemed right until one day it finally was - about 3 and a half years ago. We then, of course, both confessed that we had always had a crush on each other and well now the rest is history. :P

This man is seriously the best thing that has happened to me, everything since then has fallen into its place (job, house, now a puppy, other relationships, etc.). He, knowing it or not, encourages me to be the best me - he makes me want to be a better person for myself, for him, for family, for friends...He keeps me grounded, he tells it to me straight and then he holds me up when I need support. He makes me laugh every day. Oh and every morning (beginning 3 years ago) before work he tells me I'm beautiful. He tells me I'm beautiful even on my worst days. The man is impossible when trying to pick out an outfit or new hair color haha! Because I'm beautiful. :)

He encourages me to go out with my friends and have a good time, he makes an effort to be friends with my friends, not because he feels he has to, but because he wants to. Oh and he even encourages me to get free drinks from other guys at the bar when I am out with my friends - saves us money HA! Plus he knows it's a hello, a grab the drink and run. I'm coming home to him. :) He spends time with my family even if I'm not there, which I just find amazing. Annnndd, on top of all that, my 94-year-old Grandfather just adores him because he listens to my Grandfather when he speaks and shares his stories. Together we take my Grandfather to the casino about once a month because my Grandfather enjoys it and needs to get out of the house now and again. It melts my heart watching the two of them together.

I seriously could go on forever about this man and this certainly won't be the last post about him. Oh and let me just add that we are still a normal couple by the way - we have our moments of bickering, ya know like how our first house project went from being a few weeks long to several month longs - typical male handy-man endeavor HAHA! I'm not a very patient person and I like to cross things off my to-do list and just get things done, done and done! But I digress ;)

Life has changed for the better since he came back into my life as my friend, my lover and my soulmate.

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

Yes, yes and yes. I listen to just about anything and everything...starting to see a pattern/theme here?

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THIS! This might one of the best ecards ever! Okay, maybe not ever, but it's pretty darn close! I love me some wine! I think I know what my Friday night has in store for me this weekend. :))))

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This is going to be the easiest BBQ chicken you have ever made. I'm not joking! Nothing beats the flavor. This is The Best Crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe ever!

Ok so this may actually be the easiest BBQ chicken ever and it's delicious! Not to mention the ingredients are probably already sitting in your kitchen (as they were in mine and I'm not that well stocked just because my cooking horizon doesn't expand very far, but I digress). This literally took me 10mins (if that) and then 4 hours to cook of course, but once it's in the crockpot you can use those 4 hours for something else! In my case it was laundry and running errands with some Sunday football and tidbits of the NASCAR race in between - perfect! This recipe actually has me excited and inspired to use my crockpot more because of how easy it was and the convenience of not slaving in the kitchen plus the ability to multitask - my specialty, so I'm sure I will be finding others to share with you. This was a Pinterest find and a successful endeavor. My boyfriend and our friends were quite satisfied and I'm surprised I had any left! Fed 4 (2 of which had two helpings) and left me with enough for at least 2 more helpings possibly 3 - I served it on hamburger buns. We also had corn and some oven-baked, chopped potatoes seasoned with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Old Bay - yum!

Oh and as far as the taste - it's sweet, but just right. The chicken shredded very easily and I let it soak in the BBQ mix for another 15-20 mins after shredding like the recipe suggested (which is plenty of time to get plates out, drinks, etc.). Next time I might add in some HotShot (probably one of the best spices McCormick has, but it's hard to find!) just to give it some kick, because I like a little "kick". ;)

Hope you find this recipe as easy and tasty as I did! Enjoy!

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"Hello, My name is Griffey. I just turned 9 weeks old this past Thursday. So far, I know 'sit' and 'crate' because Mommy and Daddy will give me food and treats if I listen. I am not potty trained, but I'm working on it. I slept all through the night last night for the first time ever (and didn't pee in my crate) and then after Mommy let me outside 3 times to pee and poop, I still decided to pee on my brand new bed. It's my bed and I need to make sure everyone knows that. But Mommy said 'this why we can't have nice things.' She wasn't too happy with me. One day when I'm older I will learn to pee outside allllll the time, I promise!

Oh Oh, there's more! I love my toys, especially my duckie and my new wheel toy that my Aunt Lauren and Uncle Randy bought me. I also love snuggling with Mommy and Daddy and giving them lots of kisses!! Mommy will be posting more updates on my progress and the silly things I do, so stay tuned! Woof woof!!"

[doseofcutefortoday]

Here’s a big bundle of cute heading your way!

[lindsaysrandomramblings]

This made it to my Facebook feed as well and very appropriate considering we had similar troubles with our new pup Griffey #TheStruggleIsReal

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First Time Blogger

Soooo this my first blog (yay, great, awesome, freaking finally!). I've thought about starting a blog for awhile now, like years -- And I mean I was a PR major who is currently working professionally in marketing (I've been doing that for almost 4 years now), so it seems appropriate. Not to mention, I have a million random thoughts in my head at any given moment, so why not write some of them out? 

I don't plan on using proper written language here on this thing. I'd like to just write with emotion and as  my thoughts come out as if I were just conversing with whoever reads this face-to-face. So please don't judge my grammar, spelling or left out words (sometimes I just can't type fast enough or I forget)!

To be honest, I've been nervous about starting a blog. I don't have a niche topic to write about, just random stuff because that's how I am, that's how my life is - random. Funny though - I'm such a planner!

I'm also not even sure about sharing this darn thing because I'm nervous about people reading my inner thoughts. I share a lot of things out loud (boy I'm a talker), but not everything and it's one thing to share with close family and friends vs. complete strangers. For this blog, not sure which could be worse of the two groups, but I'll guess I will find out.

So here we are - I'm going to give this thing a whirl and see how it goes. Be easy on me. I appreciate a good debate and constructive criticism, but sometimes I just don't want to listen to it or read it for that matter. That being said, if you don't have anything nice to say, please don't say it at all. :P

Oh, my avatar, in case any of you want to know, is my new pup Griffey. I plan on writing about him a good bit. He was 9 weeks this past Thursday. My boyfriend and I have had him for a full week now - it's been quite an adjustment to say the least, but he's a fun, sweet pup and I can't wait to share his story as part of mine. :)

Anyway, that is all for now. Goodnight!